How Not to Spin the Bottle
by defiant00
Summary: After homecoming the gang make their way back to Gretchen's house, leading to a game of spin the bottle with all the usual suspects.


**How Not to Spin the Bottle**

**Idea by Carly, any fumblings are entirely my own. The kids are around fifteen in this.**

**I own nothing!**

Opening the door for his homecoming date, Phineas followed Isabella into the house. The whole evening had been lovely - dinner and dancing spent together with his best friend from across the street - who, if he was willing to admit it, he was starting to find positively enchanting, regardless of whether she was actually trying to be or not. But, for the time being they were simply enjoying spending time together, which is why they now found themselves at Gretchen's house late at night along with the rest of their friends. Their revelry quickly devolved into silliness at the late hour, as they talked and joked, high on the happy events of the day.

After a while spent milling about, Phineas sat down next to Ferb on the couch, talking with him briefly before then wandering over to the group in the kitchen. Standing discretely away from Isabella as he admired her joking with her friends, he was then surprised when Adyson loudly proclaimed, "Hey, let's play spin the bottle!" Scattered laughter rang out, but no real objections, as Ferb quietly watched the group, chuckling under his breath at how obvious a certain couple's reactions were.

Grabbing an empty bottle, Adyson quickly coerced most of the group into joining her as they grabbed some chairs, forming a circle around the table.

"Ferb, are you coming?" Gretchen called out, causing him to glance up from his phone with a small shake of his head, gesturing for them to continue. Looking over at the group, he smirked a little - his brother was looking distinctly uncomfortable, standing back a ways and leaning against the counter. Quite the opposite of both Irving and Django, actually, who were rather unsuccessful at concealing their excitement.

"Alright," Adyson started loudly, pointing around the circle with the bottle, "who's going first?"

"Why not you?" Buford smirked. "It was _your_ idea."

"Well sure-" she started, shooting him a glare, when Katie suddenly snatched it out of her hand.

"And...go!" she exclaimed, slamming the plastic bottle on the table and giving it a dramatic twist. As it slowed there was mixed excitement and nervous grins until it eventually stopped, pointing at Buford. Katie's eyes widened slightly as he gave a casual shrug with a little laugh. Pushing himself up from his chair, he walked around to her as she stood up to meet him.

"So, how do you-" he started, only to be interrupted by her leaning against him as she gave him a quick peck on the lips. Before he could respond she rocked back on her heels, sitting down again before then glancing up at him with the start of a grin. "Ah," he said, before going back to his seat.

Milly spun next, landing on Holly who was near her. With a grin she leaned over, kissing her cheek as she let out a giggle.

Baljeet took the bottle with a sigh, contemplating it for a second before setting it in the center of the table and giving it a spin. When it stopped on Alice, another girl from school, he wasn't sure whether to be concerned or relieved as he swallowed nervously, catching Ginger's focused stare. Walking over to her, he leaned over, kissing her briefly on the forehead before quickly retreating to his seat, sinking into it as he snuck another glance at Ginger, before then jolting as Buford piped up.

"Alright, let's do this!" he exclaimed, reaching forward and giving the bottle a turn. When it wobbled to a stop, rolling a bit further until it pointed at Baljeet, Buford barked out a little laugh. "Ah, why not," he shrugged, as he leaned over and kissed the side of Baljeet's forehead before he could react, lingering there for a second before retreating with a laugh.

Baljeet shot him a glare. "Why are you kissing me so casually?" he demanded.

"Why not? It's just a game," Buford responded with a shrug, before going contemplative. After a second he turned on him with a smirk as he reached out a hand, cupping his cheek. "Are you saying I should be more serious about this?" he asked, as he started to lean in.

Baljeet rocked back, beginning to blush as he flailed an arm, trying to escape his grasp. "Cut it out!" he practically shouted, knocking Buford's hand away as the latter grinned, before going quieter. "That is not what I meant," he glared, before turning his gaze downward in embarrassment.

Buford watched him stare at the floor, his cheeks flushed as he fidgeted, before letting out a chuckle. "That was way too easy," he grinned, clapping Baljeet on the shoulder, before grabbing the bottle and twisting in his seat.

"So, Dinner Bell, you up?" he asked, turning to Phineas who was still leaning against the counter, watching the proceedings.

"Nah," he waved his hand, "I'll pass," as he missed the flicker of both panic and relief that flashed across Isabella's face.

Taking the bottle from Buford, Adyson's spin landed on Django, who looked a bit surprised as they watched each other, neither making a move to get up. "Well come here, you," she laughed after a couple of seconds, as he continued to stare, carefully getting up and making his way over while she stayed in her chair, watching him. When he got within reach she grabbed his collar, pulling him to her with a smirk as she kissed him on the lips. Letting him go, she watched him stumble back amidst surprised murmurs and _Oohs_ from their friends, before handing the bottle off to Irving.

Glancing around the group, he licked his lips before placing the bottle on the table in front of him, giving it a gentle spin. His eyes widened comically when it settled on Isabella, as he glanced around in a bit of a panic.

"Oh, I…" he swallowed, glancing between her frozen expression and the bottle, before sighing slightly. "Maybe I'll just pass." As he handed the bottle to Holly, he saw Isabella let out a little breath, before jumping as something brushed his cheek.

"Thanks," Holly whispered to him as she pulled back, answering his confused look with a gesture towards Isabella, currently fixated on Phineas. Irving gave her a hesitant nod in response, as she then took her turn, giving Ginger a giggly hug and a kiss before returning to her chair.

All eyes were now on Isabella except for Ferb's, who was quietly trying to contain his mirth, watching from the couch as Phineas tried to discreetly edge his way in, resting his hands against the backs of Buford's and Baljeet's chairs as he leaned forward. Glancing around at the group, Isabella started it spinning, waiting patiently until it slowed down pointing entirely the wrong direction, at which point she reached out and gave it another spin with a, "Nope."

"No."

"Nu-uh."

"Nah."

It began to turn into a bit of a game, the others watching with various shades of amusement, as she kept going - either with a chuckle or a frown - until Ferb eventually spoke up.

"Yo, Isabella," he called out, his voice catching them all off guard. "Instead of waiting for it to land on Phineas, why don't you make it easier for the both of you and just _kiss _him already."

There was a momentary pause - a second of silence that seemed to stretch on forever - as Phineas whipped his head around, almost losing his balance, as he stared at his brother in shock. Why would he say that? He _knew_ they were just friends. Yes, they had gone to the dance together. And yes, maybe he _had_ caught himself daydreaming of her a few too many times recently. But that was normal, right? When your best friend was as amazing, and smart, and beautiful as she was-

Oh.

Feeling his ears burn, Phineas glanced down for a second, hardly hearing his friends' laughter as he tried to breathe, unsure of his current insight. Hearing the bottle clatter to the floor, he looked up, surprised to find Isabella's seat empty. Realizing that she was likely just as panicked as he was, he glanced around, shooting Ferb a death glare as he walked past the couch, desperately hoping his brother hadn't just ruined...whatever it was he and Isabella had going on.

Taking a couple steps into the hallway, he stopped abruptly - barely able to make out her silhouette from the light from the kitchen. She seemed to just be...standing there, facing the wall. Concern welling up within him, he carefully took a few steps forward, listening intently as he tried to determine how bad it was.

She rocked back and forth a little with her hands on her flushed cheeks, a building tightness in her chest that she tried to contain. Sure, they had talked around their feelings occasionally once they had entered high school, sometimes to the point that she even thought he returned hers, but never in such an overt way as _this._ Even _homecoming _had been couched in the dreaded, "as friends," even though his recent actions hadn't necessarily reflected that. Still, what was she going to do _now?_ Aside from murdering Ferb, of course.

Hearing Phineas' footsteps she peaked his direction, unable to read his expression in the shadows as he stopped next to her, remaining silent for a moment. "So," he whispered before finding his voice, "what'cha doin'?" he asked with a chuckle, as she lowered her hands, tentatively grinning through her embarrassment. Giving her a reassuring smile, he rested an arm around her shoulders as he pulled them gently together, resting his head on hers as he drew in a breath.

"Hey, I'm sorry about my brother…" he began a moment later. "I mean, you know him and his intentions, but…" he sighed with a wave of his hand before returning it around her, "sorry."

To his surprise she giggled, his heart accelerating at the sound as he smiled - maybe it wasn't as bad as he thought. As she shifted he loosened his hold on her, his hand trailing along her back as she turned to face him, her hands dropping from her face as she found his free hand, holding it lightly as she straightened up with an indrawn breath.

"Was it...that obvious that I was only trying to kiss you?" she managed, flushing further as she tried to not focus on how close his lips were to hers.

Phineas snorted. "A little," he admitted, "but I don't think _I_ was much better. I'm sure everyone noticed I only wanted to play when it was _your_ turn."

"I guess that really defeats the purpose then, doesn't it?" she asked with a grin.

"I guess so," he laughed, leaning closer as they giggled together in their shared relief. After a minute they had again fallen silent as they quietly watched each other, unsure of how to proceed. With a sudden glint in her eye she leaned forward, catching him off guard as she pressed her lips to his, before then separating as quickly as she had begun, her gaze downcast as she held her breath, waiting for his reaction.

Standing frozen, he could feel warmth creeping up his cheeks as he slowly began to grin. Her embarrassment as she peered at him only making her more adorable, he slowly raised his hands to his face, his thoughts eventually catching up to the present.

"Isabella, this really isn't how I envisioned our first kiss."

"Yeah, sorry about that," she giggled bashfully, running her hand along her arm.

Taking a step back he leaned against the wall, his fingers trailing down to his lips as he stared past her. Watching him for a second she stepped forward, unsure of how to proceed.

"You good?" she eventually asked.

Instead of responding, his focus suddenly shifted back to her with a determined expression as he leaned forward, taking hold of her upper arms.

"What are you-"

Phineas kissed her.

It only took her a moment to overcome her shock, melting into his embrace as she ran her hands along his arms and around his neck. She felt his hands fall to her sides, her only focus their continued contact, as he then wrapped his arms around her, leaning back against the wall as he pulled her tightly to him, deepening the kiss. When they eventually separated she stayed close, leaning up against him as she nuzzled into his neck, resting her head on his shoulder as he gently stroked her back. After a couple minutes of warm contentment, she felt him give a little start, as his hand fell still.

"The girls are watching from the end of the hallway, aren't they?" she asked, as he chuckled nervously in response. Pushing herself up, she glared at their audience for a second until, with a bit of a smirk, she realized that she didn't actually care. Settling back against him, she let out a contented sigh as he wrapped his arms around her. Perhaps, she supposed, she should _thank _Ferb instead.

* * *

**This one's for Carly, I hope you enjoyed it!**


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